This is a granddaddy mech all right, going back to the very first days of the
pencil-and-paper version of the game. As I recall my Battletech lore, the Atlas was a
design that had extra special emphasis placed on making it visibly intimidating, and it
does indeed cut a striking figure in the game. It stands taller than any other mech,
and the distinctively-colored skull-shaped head is impossible to miss. Its motion is also
distinctive, as it runs stiffly as though its legs were chained together.
The Atlas has the second-most available tonnage in the
game, and has the highest total of weapons slots, with twenty-one. The big problem is that
most of the slots are broken into smaller groups, limiting the Atlas' ability to carry
several large weapons (only one three-slot ballistic and no three-slot missile weapons are
possible). Arguably the most effective weapon configuration for an Atlas is four or five
ER large lasers with a Gauss Rifle or several missile racks for support.
The Altas will never stand out for its speed, but it does
best the game's other hundred ton entry, the Daishi, in minimum speed, maximum speed,
acceleration, and deceleration. Cranking up the speed on an Atlas and slapping on an
ECM can be fun if nothing else.
|
Mauler
